Magazine Planning: Coverline Opinions

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Magazine Planning: Possible Coverlines

I have come up with a few possible cover-lines that I am hoping to use on the cover of my film magazine, positioned just under the title. I will create a tally chart and allow people to vote for the line that they believe is most suitable as this allows me to make the correct decision based on what my targeted audience think.

The list below shows my initial ideas that have been inspired by some previous cover-lines I have looked at from existing magazines.

-"A Nightmare Becomes Reality"

-"The Ultimate Autumn Blockbuster"

-"The Ultimate Autumn Blockbuster Of 2014"

-"The Most Intriguing Thriller Of The Year"

-"The Most Chilling Thriller Of The Year" 

-"The Hard-Hitting Film Of 2014"

-"Nicki Hill Finally Gets Her Big Break"

Magazine Planning: Digital Layout Plan

I have created this basic layout using MS Word. I gives me an idea of what my final product will look like and how the masthead fits on to the page. I am happy with this as a first attempt and have got an understanding of what looks good and what doesn't. I will be able to make improvements based on this attempt and will be able to change things when it comes to creating the real thing.

Magazine Planning: My Masthead

I have made the decision, after consulting others, that I will use the Franklin Gothic Heavy font to create my masthead. This is because it is a bold, dominating font that will stand out on the cover and wont be effected if part of the main image overlaps it. I have looked at the colours that I will most likely use when it is placed on my cover and I will make my final decision as I create my cover. I have used Photoshop Elements to create a prototype of my masthead and to embed the word 'cine' on top of 'realm'. This is so 'realm' is the biggest word, emphasising the fact that the magazine specialises in film and that is its main topic. 

Magazine Research: Experimenting With Mastheads

Magazine Planning: Connotations Of My Title

Magazine Planning: Chosen Title

After looking at the results of my poll I have decided that calling the magazine 'Cine Realm' is the best decision. This is because it is the name that has taken most of the votes meaning it was the most popular and people would find this name the most suitable. The word 'cine' relates to film and would instantly make people think of film and cinema when they saw it, helping them identify the genre of the magazine. The word 'realm' may make people think of something that is strong and might suggest that film is the magazines main territory, something that it specializes in. Put together the words create a fairly strong meaning, adding dominance to its name. I have asked people of all ages and genders, giving me an insight into what all people want and getting an overall answer from everybody. 

Magazine Planning: Deciding On A Title

This poll will help me make the decision on my film magazine title as I will be receiving answers off of real members of the public, meaning they will be fair and honest. I will be able to get a feel for what people are really looking for from a film magazine.

Vote for your favourite film magazine title

SCENE

SHOOT

REEL

TAKE ONE

DEPTH

FILM FIRST

CINE REALM

REALM

CINE

EDIT

ZONE

INSIDE

JUST FILM

NOW FILM

Poll Maker

Magazine Planning: Magazine Title Ideas

Magazine Planning: Initial Cover Layout

Poster Planning: Hand Drawn Mock Up

This is just a basic mock up of what layout I am planning to use for my poster. I will follow this with a digital mock up once I have made decisions on fonts, colours and other key elements. 

Poster Planning: Existing Posters

Trailer Planning: Soundtrack Compilation

This is a compilation of music that I feel is suitable to be used as a backing track for a thriller trailer. Although some of it is slightly slower than preferred, other parts are at a good pace to build up tension and suspicion. This is the sort of music I would like to have in my thriller trailer underneath elements of dialogue, inter-titles and other sound effects. 

Check this out on Chirbit

Trailer Planning: Nine Dead (2010) Music

For inspiration, I am looking at the 'Nine Dead' trailer. This is because it is similar to the trailer I am hoping to create and the music used adds atmosphere and dramatic effects to the overall feel of the trailer. This is the same effect that I would like to create and will be hoping to find a soundtrack that fits my trailer as this one does. I have already began looking at the some sound effects that will appear in my trailer but am beginning to look at existing trailers to aide my final decisions. I have already analysed this trailer but this time I am purely looking at the sound and its effects.

The music throughout seems to get faster and gives the impression of a race against time. Although there is a lot of dialogue within the trailer the ambient sound track is still heard and adds to the mood of the film and helps us to identify the genre. There seems to be some strong beats running through, almost like a fast beating heart, relating to the adrenaline felt by both the characters and the audience. The sound is also quite repetitive, linking with the same processes the characters are having to go through to come to a final conclusion. The sound inflates along side the narrative and as the build up within the story line takes place, the music begins to grow. After a minuet in the trailer, the music begins to get much faster and as the inter-title 'BEFORE TIME RUNS OUT' appears a sharper noise enhances the atmosphere and this is where the music begins to suggest a race or some kind of panic. It is also at this point that it begins to fade out and the sound effects are the only thing following the trailer all the way to the end. It ends with a fairly creepy noise, similar to that of something scraping against metal or a chalk board, relating to something many people detest. This highlights the fear within the film, suggesting a not so light-hearted or happy plot. I can now take this basic research into account when searching for music for my trailer and it will help me to identify what people will expect in a crime trailer. 

Trailer Planning: Looking At Sound Effects

These are videos that I have selected from you tube highlighting some of the sound effects that I feel would be suitable for my film trailer. They add suspense, tension and drama to the trailer, putting the audience on edge and giving them feelings of suspicion. Most of the sounds in these videos are expected of a crime thriller trailer and really highlight the action within it. 

Fourth Overview

I have now began planning my trailer and looking into how I will create it. I have already looked at the mise-en-scene within my trailer and how they fit with the typical conventions and expectations of films. I now need to look more in depth at the technical elements within my trailer such as the shots I will put together and the sound that will add to the overall feel of the trailer. I am yet to begin planning my magazine and poster layout which will add to the promotion of my film.

Poster Planning: Star Rating

Although I have found many film posters that have included star ratings on them, I have found it difficult to find a thriller film poster that does actually include them. It seems as though many thriller posters are simplistic and the most important thing seems to be the image and film title. I have decided that I will not include a rating on the poster I am to create as I want the few features that will be included to really stand out and I want to avoid the final product looking over crowded and too 'busy'. Although the ratings are meant to sell the film even more, I feel that the image should be the thing that catches people's attention and if this begins to be taken over by too much text, it might begin to look too unprofessional. 

The two posters featured in this post are both advertising thrillers and are fairly simplistic in design. They do not contain any form of rating or opinion and the plot is left to your imagination. It seems obvious that the creators have left the viewer to make their on decision as to how good the film will be and want the image and text to be of most importance. I will take this idea into account when making my own poster.

Trailer Planning: Mise-En-Scene

Trailer Planning: Short List Of Inter-Title Fonts

At the moment, the following fonts are the ones that I am considering at the moment:

-Adobe Fan Heiti STD B

-Adobe Gothic STD B

-MS Reference Sans Serif

-OCR A Extended

-TW Cen MT

-Modern No.20

I have put together a short montage of the fonts acting as an inter-title using one of the lines I have included in my transcript. This so I can get a feel for what the font would look like in the format of an inter-title although there is not background as of yet. I feel the fonts are suitable as they are easy to read, clear and most importantly, fit in with the conventions of a crime thriller trailer. They are fairly similar to ones that I have seen in existing trailers which helps me to know that they would be expected and fit in nicely.

Trailer Planning: Inter-Title Fonts

These are screen shots of different inter-titles that I have taken from various film trailers. All of the fonts used are fairly similar, being bold and capitalised. They are all central to the screen, in the line of vision for the audience. The majority of the inter-titles are written in white and are placed on a black background, making the text stand out and leaving the audience with no choice but to read it. These screen shots will help me in deciding what font to use for my inter-titles as I can get an idea of what the majority look like and what is expected for a crime thriller trailer.

Trailer Planning: My Transcript

Trailer Research: Crime Thriller Transcript

Trailer Research: Initial Transcript Research

I have recently looked into the inter-titles used throughout film trailers and what purpose they serve. It is very clear that they initially give information about the characters, settings and narratives, summing up the overall movie, although not so much in thriller or horror trailers. This may be because films of this genre are all about suspense and tension. Inter-titles may also introduce the main actresses and actors in the film, especially if they are famous. There may also be a logo for a company that advertises who has produced and distributed the film, maybe suggesting that the film will be successful and has been created by a well known company. The movie title often comes at the end of the trailer, adding the idea of a build up, leaving the audience in suspense as to what the film is called. This also means they have to watch the whole trailer in order to find out, allowing them to take everything in. The inter-titles are usually formed of short statements, telling the viewer exactly what the plot is or exactly who the characters are, leaving no uncertainty. 

This is the first trailer transcript I have looked at for a film called 'Castle In The Sky'. Although this does not fit the same genre as my film, it has still given me an insight into the form, structure and language used to create the transcript. It has shown me when the characters are introduced, how we get to know where it is set and how much of the story line has been revealed. It has also shown me how the actors/actresses are introduced and how the directors and producers have been promoted.

The next step before I write my own transcript will be to look at one used in a trailer for a film of the crime thriller genre. This will help me to see how much is revealed and how much I should include in mine.

Trailer Planning: Ordering Of My Film Trailer

Trailer Planning: Key Selling Points and Ordering

I have put together this short presentation to show the basic ordering for my trailer and the main things that I want to be shown. I have also highlighted the key selling points of the film and said how/why they need to be presented well in my trailer to create a successful film.

Third Overview

I have now done enough research to begin planning my trailer, poster and magazine cover. I will need to begin looking at elements such as camera work, photography, text, locations etc in order to help me produce a successful promotional package for the film I have planned. The following posts will follow this progress and help me with the overall design of the products.

Trailer Planning: Release Strategy

Trailer Planning: Film Certificate

After reviewing the official age certificates published on the BBFC website I have decided that my film will be suitable for people aged 15 and over.

When making this decision I have taken many factors into account including:

 -Strong language

-Scenes of violence

-Fears or phobias

-Discrimination

-Sexual Scenes

-Drug taking

-Dangerous Behaviour

Here is a screen shot of what the BBFC consider to be suitable elements for people aged 15 and over: 

Although my film does not contain every single one of these elements, some are shown. Within the narrative it would be expected the hear examples of strong language, normal for a thriller. However, it must not be heard too frequently in order for it to be suitable for under 18's. The narrative must not promote any form of discrimination as viewers may be influenced to carry out action they see in a film, especially teenagers. Threatening scenes are allowed as this should not usually scare younger audiences, it is only not permitted when it is shown frequently. Dangerous behaviour is allowed within the film (e.g. murder or suicide) but the scene must not be graphic to avoid having a lasting effect on the audience. Weapons can be used but must not be constantly shown close-up on screen to avoid the idea that younger viewers might begin thinking of where they could obtain one. small scenes of nudity can be shown as long as they are not in a sexual context or shown in detail. Violence can be shown but should not be continually shown and violent scenes should not last too long.  

Because of the 15 age rating, no typical thriller themes are banned from being shown through the film narrative, as long as they are not heavily dwelled upon. 

Here is a list of examples of what themes are expected in a thriller film:

-social issues/current affairs (e.g. religion, politics, war)

-discrimination of social groups (e.g. gender/class/ethnicity/minority groups)

-discrimination of sex and gender (e.g. gay relationships/sexual relationships)

-apocalyptic societies

-religion

-grief/death

-mystery

Trailer Research: List Of BBFC Age Ratings

I have looked on the BBFC website at the official expectations of films of each age rating, helping me to identify what things can and can't be included in my film after I have decided who it is suitable for.

Trailer Research: BBFC

Trailer Planning: Unique Selling Points Of My Film

Trailer Planning: Marketing Strategy

Second Overview

I have now done a suffiecient amount of analysis to help me with the creation of my procducts. By looking at existing products I could see what people, especially my target audience, will be expecting from my trailer, poster and magazine cover and what the most important elements in drawing the attention of the audience are. I can know confidently go forward with my planning, baring in mind what I have learnt from the analysis I have carried out.

Trailer Research: What I Found Out From My Analysis

Magazine Analysis: American Gangster (2007) Empire Magazine Cover

American Gangster (2007)

Masthead The masthead on the front cover of this magazine is the biggest thing on the page other than the image. It is also written using red text unlike the rest of the writing on the cover. This instantly makes it stand out from everything else and although part of the image overlaps it, it is still evident on the cover and is used as a way of branding the magazine. The positioning of the masthead also makes it one of the most important things on the cover, being central at the top of the page. The font that has been used to write the title is fairly bold and tall, adding a sense of power to the magazine, as though it is the best one out there. The red colour of the title may connote things such as danger or bloodshed, linking to the fact that it is 'The Crime Issue' and relating to what is expected of a crime movie. The style of the masthead may also relate to the masthead of a newspaper, inferring that this magazine is full of news to do with new film releases and well-known actors/actresses.

Cover Line The title of the movie featured in the magazine is the main cover line. The words 'American Gangster' are central on the magazine and is used as an overlay over the top of the main image. Also, the word 'Gangster' may be linked with crime and stereotypically a gangster may be seen as a threat, a feeling that is felt by the characters throughout crime thriller films. 'Gangster' is also written in a filled in font, different to the way 'American' is written. This subtle touch singles out the word and highlights one of the main features within the film, suggesting to the audience that the film is based around violence and criminals.

Flash A flash is used to promote the chance of a free poster if you purchase the magazine. It is positioned near the the centre of the image on the right hand side. This is so it doesn't make the cover seem over crowded as this would contrast with the serious feel to the film. The font used on the flash is bold, highlighting the feature and drawing the audience to buy the magazine in order to claim their free poster. The flash overlaps the small images of the free posters, making it stand forward and draw our eye to the offer.

Tagline There is a small tagline seen on the left hand side just underneath the masthead. It states 'The Worlds Biggest Movie Magazine' giving the reader the feeling that by buying the magazine they will be finding all the information on films that they need, something that won't be found in other film magazines. The text seems to be backed by a black background, separating it from the image behind and almost making the tagline seem embossed on the page. Without this dark background, the text would be swamped by the image and it would not be clearly seen. The tagline also brands the magazine, giving it it's own unique element.

Main Image The image used on the cover takes up the whole page, making it dominant and powerful. It instantly helps the reader identify what genre the film belongs to and highlighting the main characters in the film. The way that Denzel Washington's character has been placed forward of Russel Crowe's tells us which character is superior or most dominant, introducing us to the film in a little more depth. Both characters are wearing fairly plain clothes but do look smart, maybe inferring a detective role or a more serious side to the character. Behind the characters we can see the sort of place the film is set. The stance of both of the characters makes them seem important and as though they are not to be messed with. They add a sense of threat to the film, giving the impression that the characters may be well respected and have a serious job to contend with. We can see the top of an iconic American bridge, giving us an insight to the urban atmosphere of the film and its city setting. This is typical of a thriller film as we would expect to be able to identify the setting, making the film seem much more realistic and adding more excitement to the plot making it more enjoyable. Having it set in a big city, with the main events happening around iconic places/landmarks the audience can relate with the film, feeling like they know the area, even if they have never been. One of the main things that helps us to understand the genre is the gun in the  foremost character's hand. This automatically connotes crime and violence, something that fans of thriller films will expect to see. It also adds a feeling of danger and makes us feel as though the other characters in the film need to watch out and not 'cross' him.

Colours The colours used across the cover all fit together well, with the red masthead standing out from the rest. The other colours are fairly dark, following the idea of a dark plot. Black may be seen as a mysterious cover, relating to the audiences expectations of crime or police having to work something out. The colour also relates to more negative things such as death or evil, showing that the film won't be smooth running and helping to attract the right kind of audience. The colour of the text also allows the image to be the most prominent thing on the cover. The brightest colour is the brown used for the small cover lines lower down the page, The colour is similar to that of one of the characters suit jacket. This suggests that although the colour is still dull, they have not allowed the text to stand out more than the image and the furthest they could go to getting the text to stand out was by using a colour found in the image instead of a brighter one. 

Header and footer The header is place right at the top of the cover, sitting on top of the masthead. This draws our eye straight away and brings attention to one of the main features of the magazine, in this case it is the fact that the whole issue is based around the crime aspect of the thriller genre. The word 'crime' is defined by its colour on the header as it is written in white, standing out from the other black words. The font used for the header is also similar to that of a typewriter which may link to the font associated with the text of a film script. This reinforces the overall theme of the magazine, highlighting what it will contain. 

Layout Unlike other magazine covers, there are no subheadings or small cover lines positioned around the edges of the cover. The main features are listed on the front of the page, nearing the bottom of the image, stopping the cover from looking over crowded or covering up the image. The way this list of features have been placed almost represents an arrow, pointing up at the main image of the film actors. 

Barcode The barcode is positioned in the bottom, right hand corner of the cover. This stops it from being seen over the image and doesn't get in the way of any of the main features on the cover. It is also placed sideways, not only helping it to fit in the corner, but also making it more difficult for the reader to identify the price of the magazine. This is one of the ways the magazine is a success, the readers decide they want to buy the magazine through looking at the elements of the cover before they actually see how much they are going to pay for it. This is a technique used to sell the magazine.

Comparison Both of the magazine covers I have looked at use similar elements to advertise a film of the crime thriller genre. Both magazines have used very similar colours such as blacks and reds to connote certain ideas such as danger or a serious plot. They have also ensured that the main image is positioned in the very centre of the page, over taking the masthead and being one of the first things we look at when we see the cover on a shop shelf. This suggests that they may have used the famous actors as a way of both selling the magazine and promoting the film. 

Magazine Analysis: Shutter Island (2010) Total Film Magazine Cover

Poster Analysis: Misery (1990) Poster

Poster Analysis: The Equalizer (2010) Poster